Kim Jong-il makes first public appearance since nuclear test: KCNA

North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-il made his first public appearance this week since his country's first-ever nuclear test early last week, according to a report by the communist state's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Wednesday.

In a dispatch from Pyongyang, the North's official news agency said Kim enjoyed an art performance given by the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Korean People's Army.

The report did not state when or where the art performance was staged, only saying it was to mark the 80th anniversary of the formation of an anti-imperialism group, the Down-With-Imperialism Union.

"He (Kim Jong-il) waved back to the enthusiastically cheering artistes and audience and congratulated them on their successful performance," the report said.

The occasion was the first reported public appearance of the North Korean leader since the communist state conducted an underground nuclear test last Monday. The last report of a public appearance by Kim, which was carried on Oct. 5, said the leader had met with commanders and political instructors of the Korean People's Army battalions at an unspecified time.

North Korean reports of Kim's activities and movements rarely provide specific times or places of his whereabouts.

The North Korean leader often disappears from the public eye following actions or events that are expected to prompt strong reactions from overseas, mainly the United States.

Kim remained out of the public eye for 40 days after his country fired seven ballistic missiles in early July. Previously, he did not make a public appearance for 50 days when his country withdrew from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in early 2003 following the eruption of the ongoing dispute over the country's nuclear weapons program in late 2002.

Seoul, Oct. 18 (Yonhap News)